This invention relates to a liquid petroleum product absorbing method and apparatus and particularly to a special material for absorbing of oil and the like.
Free oil on surfaces have presented significant problems since the beginning of the usage of liquid petroleum products. The relatively recent high usage of oil for various purposes and the method of transportion by large tankers has made the presence and effect of free surface oil a current topic of interest. Thus, tanker spills have been rather dramatic events because of the size and effects thereof. In fact, however free surface oil not only in and on water but in various practical applications and environments have involved clean-up of free oil for many years. Typical examples are garages, machine shops and the like. Generally prior to current large oil spills, the specialized problems have been attended to with various means of absorption and washing of the oil from the surfaces. With large oil spills on large bodies of water, however, a highly absorbent material is generally considered one of the most advantageous and efficient methods of eliminating serious consequences generally following such spills.
Various wood products have been suggested as providing a means to effect oil absorption. U.S. Pat. No. 3,617,565 which issued on Nov. 2, 1971 discloses the use of a conifer tree bark as a useful means of absorption of water born oil spills. U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,475 which issued on Aug. 30, 1983 suggests the use of simple sawdust which has been specially treated to improve its absorption characteristics. U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,680 which issued on Aug. 10, 1982 discloses a method of treating high yield wood pulps at elevated temperatures for purposes of enhancing their hydrophobic and oleophilic properties. The prior art recognizes generally however that wood fiber material as natural wood fiber material has significantly limited use as an absorbent or even a filter medium because its hydrophobic properties are generally limited. An alternative medium is suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 3,812,973 which issued May 28, 1974 and includes a fiber material or composition made from polyethylene and paraffin.
Commercially, various products are also available. For example, KYS Oil Clean is a product manufactured by Arcata Company of Standford, Conn. Gregg Oil Sponge International Inc. of Fredericksburg, Va. manufactures chips which are formed of a combination of waste paper and wood chips with some chemical treatment. The 3M Company of Minnesota manufactures an absorbent plastic material which is believed to be a shredded polyproplyene available in both a matt or loose particulate form. The KYS material and the Oil Sponge material can be burned.
A rather recent material which is made and sold for oil absorption is based on ground corn cobbs. The material is commercially available under the trademark "Pig" from New Pig Corporation of Altoona, Pa. 16601.
Notwithstanding, the significant problem created by oil spills and like free surface oil is a continuing demand for a more effective and less costly material to establish a cost efficient method of removing oil from surfaces and the like. The material should have an affinity for petroleum products and extremely minimal attraction to water or like products. In addition, the material necessarily has a high surface to volume ratio in order to establish maximum interface with the product thereby promoting the absorption of the product, which accounts for the trade generally considering sawdust and the like and would provide optinmum surface area characterists. The new material should further be adapted to packaging in a confining tube like container for building of dams and the like.